This invention relates to a vehicle door switch device having an improved mounting member.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show a conventional door switch device for a vehicle such as an automobile. In this conventional vehicle door switch device, a cover 2 made of an elastic material such as rubber is mounted on a switch body 1, and mounting members 3 are mounted on the switch body. The two mounting members 3 are formed by a resilient metal sheet in integrally-connected relation to each other, and one of the two mounting members is provided on one side (the upper side in the drawings) of the switch body 1 while the other mounting member is provided on the other side (the lower side in the drawings) of the switch body disposed in symmetrical relation to the one side. The one mounting member 3 is bent into a generally inverted V-shape, with its middle portion spaced apart from the switch body 1, while the other mounting member 3 is bent into a generally V-shape in symmetrical relation to the above inverted V-shape, with its middle portion spaced apart from the switch body. Dots-and-dash lines shown in FIG. 1 indicates a normal condition that an external force is not applied to each mounting member.
A contact element 4 is provided at a distal end of the switch body 1 remote from the cover 2, and is held in contact with the mounting members 3, and a conductor wire 6 is connected to this contact member 4 via a connection terminal 5.
A vehicle body 7 includes a mounting hole 8, and a coating is formed on the vehicle body 7 over an entire surface thereof, including an inner edge 8a of the mounting hole 8. In this condition, the switch body 1, together with the mounting members 3, is inserted into the mounting hole 8 in the vehicle body 7 in such a manner that the conductor wire 6, the connection terminal 5 and the contact element 4 are arranged in this order from the distal side.
In this inserting process, each mounting member 3 is brought into sliding contact with the inner edge 8a of the mounting hole 8, and therefore is compressed from its normal condition, and its outwardly-projecting bent portion 3a passes through the mounting hole 8, so that the portion 3axe2x80x2 of the mounting member 3 disposed near to the bent portion 3a is press-contacted with the inner edge 8a of the mounting hole 8 (at the reverse side) by a restoring force, thereby retaining the switch body 1 against withdrawal. In the inserting process, each mounting member 3 scrapes the coating film from the inner edge 8a of the mounting hole 8, and in this condition the mounting member 3 is contacted with the vehicle body 7, and therefore is electrically connected to the vehicle body 7.
A positive electrode of a battery (not shown) on the vehicle is connected to the conductor wire 6 via a load (not shown) such as a room lamp, while a negative electrode of the battery is connected to the vehicle body 7. Therefore the mounting members 3 electrically connected to the vehicle body 7 are electrically connected to the negative electrode of the battery via the vehicle body 7.
In this mounted condition, when a door (not shown) of the vehicle is closed, the switch body 1 is pressed or operated through the cover 2, so that the contact element 4 is brought out of contact with the mounting members 3 (although this is not shown in detail in the drawings), and therefore the load, such as the room lamp, is de-energized. In this condition, when the door of the vehicle is opened, the pressing of the switch body 1 through the cover 2 is canceled, so that the contact element 4 is brought into contact with the mounting members 3, and therefore the load, such as the room lamp, is energized.
In recent years, the degree of rigidity of the coating, formed on the vehicle body 7, has increased. On the other hand, for obtaining the sufficient electrical connection between the mounting members 3 and the vehicle body 7, the pressure of contact of each mounting member 3 with the inner edge of the mounting hole 8 in the vehicle body 7 must be increased so that the mounting member 3 can sufficiently scrape the coating film from the inner edge 8a when the mounting member 3 slides in contact with the inner edge 8a. 
In the above conventional vehicle door switch device, however, it is difficult to increase the pressure of contact of each mounting member 3 with the inner edge 8a of the mounting hole 8, and as a result the scraping of the coating film from the inner edge 8a of the mounting hole 8 can not effected sufficiently. Therefore there has been a fear that the sufficient electrical connection between the mounting members 3 and the vehicle body 7 is not achieved.
This invention has been made under the above circumstances, and an object of the invention is to provide a door switch device for a vehicle in which the pressure of contact of a mounting member with an inner edge of a mounting hole in a vehicle body can be sufficiently increased, so that a coating film can be sufficiently scraped from the inner edge of the mounting hole, thereby achieving the sufficient electrical connection between the mounting member and the vehicle body.
In order to solve the aforesaid object, the invention is characterized by having the following arrangement.
(1) A door switch device for a vehicle comprising:
a switch body; and
a mounting member mounted on the switch body, wherein the mounting member is formed of a resilient sheet and has a width gradually increasing from a first end thereof to a intermediate portion thereof and gradually decreasing from the intermediate portion to a second end thereof;
wherein when the mounting member together with switch body is inserted, from the first end of the mounting member, into a mounting hole in a vehicle body having a coating film formed thereon, opposite side edges of the mounting member are brought into sliding contact with an inner edge of the mounting hole so that the mounting member scrapes the coating film from the inner edge of the mounting hole and is curved between the inner edge of the mounting hole and the switch body, thereby the opposite side edges are press-contacted with and electrically connected to the inner edge of the mounting hole by a restoring resilient force of the mounting member, and prevents the switch body from withdrawal.
(2) The door switch device according to (1), wherein a maximum width of the mounting member is larger than a chord length of a corresponding portion of the mounting hole where the mounting member is located.
(3) The door switch device according to (2), wherein a width at the first distal end of the mounting member is smaller than the diameter of the corresponding portion of the mounting hole.
(4) The door switch device according to (3), wherein a width at the second distal end of the mounting member is smaller than the diameter of the corresponding portion of the mounting hole.
(5) The door switch device according to (1), wherein a length between the first end and the intermediate portion is shorter than a length between the intermediate portion and the second end.
(6) The door switch device according to (1), wherein a pair of the mounting members are provided so as to interpose the switch body therebetween.